Which algae and plankton form the base of the Great Lakes food web?

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Great Lakes Marquette Harbor Lighthouse on Lake Superior, Marquette, Michigan.

The base of the Great Lakes food web is formed by plankton, which consists of both microscopic plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton).12

Diatoms—microscopic algae characterized by their silica-based, glasslike shells—serve as the primary form of algae in the lakes. Additionally, green and blue-green algae are found in abundance, particularly during the summer months in Lakes Erie, Ontario, and Michigan.2

The animal component of the plankton community is largely comprised of microscopic crustaceans, specifically copepods and cladocerans. These organisms are essential to the ecosystem, as they provide the foundational food supply upon which larger aquatic life depends.234